Digi-Tale 0 Point 5
by IronChainDragon
Summary: Sixteen years before Frisk and her friends fell into the Digital World, five other kids did the same thing. Flicker, Bethany, Ricardo, Sans, and Papyrus might not have been the perfect ones for the job, but they did the best they could. This... is their story, broken into parts by time, but still enough to get the truth of things.
1. Introduction: Falling

Daichi: Well, Digi-Tale itself will give you knowledge of the original DigiDestined of that world, but why not give you a head start? This won't necessarily be in chronological order, but you will get something out of this.

Verity: She only owns Flicker, Bethany, and Ricardo.

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Green eyes stared into the mirror, as ten-year-old Flicker Lanesly wound her brown hair into a ponytail. Older brother out with his girlfriend for the day, parents at work, no school… she loved Saturday. No dealing with disappointed relatives or threats to her status within the family.

That was the thing about the Lanesly family. They disowned their children. A lot. About three quarters of the kids were kicked out before reaching adulthood. So far, Flicker had been lucky. And she planned on keeping it that way.

Carefully buttoning her wool jacket, she glanced outside. She figured she wouldn't need anything more, given that she was just running down the street to buy some food. Something, however, caught her eye.

On the desk, just sitting there, was a strange blue device that she was certain had not been there yesterday. Curious, she picked it up.

A ripple. A shift. Something about the space around her changed, and she was gone.

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"I will kill my roommate," The fourteen-year-old Bethany Moore grumbled out, struggling to pull chewing gum out of her long black braids. "We have a trip today, the adults specifically said so, and of course she pulls something like this.

Bethany was one of the many children who lived at Ebott Orphanage, and one of the older ones. It was a small town, just aways from a mountain said to kill any who would climb it, but there was a surprising number of kids without parents for its size. It always had been that way. In fact, several of the people who went missing up that mountain had been children from that orphanage.

Bethany really did not know why they kept having group picnics to that mountain, especially in early winter, but she wasn't complaining. The fresh air would do her some good.

Before she could even get dressed, however, she noticed a blue object on the floor. Unable to control her curiosity, she picked it up.

She never did get to go on that picnic.

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Across the country, another child with black hair, this one the same age as Flicker, was playing out in the snow. Orange jacket, red scarf, a blue hat and gloves, Ricardo Delaney was well prepared for this weather. And he liked it that way.

The Delaney family was the richest in the area, and his parents would never let him forget what that meant. Classy dinner parties, acting dignified whenever he was in public… it was only on afternoons spent in private like this that he was able to act like every other kid.

Even so, he would have to return inside soon. His parents were looking into various boarding schools, to get more time to themselves, and he would likely be asked his opinion on one or more of them, which would more than likely be discarded. He wasn't very happy about that. Unfortunately, his freedom couldn't last forever.

It could, however be extended. Noticing a strange item on the ground, he picked it up. The next thing he felt was a strange sensation.

It was almost like falling, but it felt more like flight.

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The final two chosen for this destiny weren't like the other three at all. They weren't even human. Sans the skeleton, ten years old, and his younger brother, Papyrus, age five.

The two of them were as close as could be, having only each other. They had no recollection of where they came from, but knew that the place they lived in, Snowdin Village, was their home. Nobody else knew where they had come from either, the brothers just popping up one day, yet seeming as if they had always been there. Nobody put much thought into it.

Not even the boys themselves. Papyrus, an enthusiastic little thing, always yelling at the top of his lungs if he could, was simply too young to care about such things. All he needed in life was his big brother, and everything would be fine.

Sans, on the other hand, did wonder, at times. Still, he was the laid-back sort. Even with things like this, he figured that it would all work out, and there was no need to get stressed over it. He'd just have to take care of Papyrus, and everything would be okay in the end. He'd manage it, too. Even at his young age, he was rather brilliant.

The skeletons lived in a shed next to an empty house, that had supposedly been empty for as long as anybody could remember. There was living space, but mostly odd gadgets and such that neither of them really understood. They just sat there, gathering dust. Not even Sans could figure them out, although he'd decided that he would, one day.

Today, however, there were two things there that should not have been.

"Papyrus, did you bring these in here?" Sans tried to sound disapproving. He really did. But when it came to Papyrus… he just couldn't.

"NO, I… I DON'T KNOW WHERE THEY CAME FROM." Without another word being exchanged between the two, they both reached out and grabbed a device.

The underground vanished around them, and they found themselves being transported to somewhere else altogether.

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Several years before the final battle between the forces of good and Apocalymon, before the first defeat of Myotismon, before Terriermon, even before Frisk fell into the underground, five children of various backgrounds fell from one world into another. Friends would be made, lives would be lost, and adventures would be had.

This is the story of five children, most of whom had never met before, and would not meet again until they were all grown up. Five children who would not entirely remember what had happened, but would still take something away from the experience.

This… is the story of the First Ones.

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Daichi: Some things to note here. First, this story is the final point in the timeline where Sans is not horribly depressed, and can actually be bothered with things like capitalization. Second, we will be seeing all three human characters in the main story, so don't worry about that.

Verity: If only we were able to find a justification for Papyrus. That's what you're thinking, right?

Daichi: The laptop doesn't have Caps Lock! It's painful!


	2. Digivolution: A Purpose

BlackGatomon: There actually is a prequel. Huh.

Daichi: And this is why you should show up to meetings more often.

Vee-Vee: Nobody here owns anything but the humans.

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Babamon wondered, not for the first time, who had picked these children that would most likely end up having to save her world. They were all right, really. It was just the combination that made her think.

A rich kid whose family tried to hard to fit in with other rich people? Far too desperate to please his new friends. Still, he had a Koromon, and that made him like most of the others. Perhaps it was better that way.

A girl without a family? Quiet, at least to those she didn't know, and Babamon knew that they didn't really know each other. Either way, she had her Digivice, she had her Koromon, and she had her emotions. With luck, she would eventually open up, but that left a lot to wondering.

Someone who had a family, but was on the ropes with them? Nothing but trouble, at least when it came to expressing herself. She was lucky that Plotmon had come that way, or she'd most likely be easy pickings for the Digimon of the forest, at least at this point in time. Molding this girl into a heroic figure was Babamon's job, but she didn't see that happening anytime soon.

The Monsters? Sweet kids, but a total unknown, one with a Koromon and another with a Yaamon. The others, Anubismon had provided some decent info on when he dumped them all with her, but she knew little about them but her own observation. She didn't actually mind them, all things considered.

The older one, with the Koromon, still reacted with suspicion whenever one of the humans drew near, although she blamed whatever was going on in their world for that. The little one, partnered with Yaamon, however, was rather open and friendly, enough for the both of them.

In all honesty, she had her reservations about whether or not these children truly could save her world from the encroaching darkness. Yet she had her duty, and she would see it through to the end.

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Flicker didn't know what to make of this strange place she had ended up in. A large creature- Anubismon, she remembered Babamon had called him- had found her where she lay, plopped a puppy in her lap, and led her to this little cottage.

Babamon, the nice Digimon that was taking care of her and the others, had never been anything but kind. She even had her new friends, Ricardo and Bethany. And Plotmon, of course. Wherever she went, her loyal partner would follow.

The three Koromon and Yaamon would eat anything provided, although Plotmon, supposedly at a higher Digivolutionary level, was more subdued. The things she was most uncertain about were the skeletons.

She had occasionally, in school, gone over history. The war between humans and Monsters, somewhere around three centuries ago, was recorded well enough, although nobody was ever told where the Barrier was, most likely to prevent anyone stupid enough from going and messing with the denizens of the Underground.

Of course, there were several conflicting sources on how the war started, so she wasn't going to go into any of that. And, no matter who started the war, they would most likely be long dead by now.

So she didn't mind them. If Sans didn't actively avoid the humans, and try to get Papyrus to do the same- to no avail, as he was the friendliest person Flicker had ever met- she would have even said she liked them.

Something told her that her parents wouldn't approve, if she told them who she was currently living with, or how she thought about them. Well, she'd already been there for three days, and if running away wouldn't have already gotten her disowned, this would. Babamon was trying to talk to them about responsibility, but her little house had a warmth to it that the residence of the Lanesly family never had.

She wouldn't call it home, not by a long shot, but it was a nice place, and she'd hate for anything to happen to it. Which was why the gang of misfit Hagurumon, and their Guardromon leader, were in trouble.

She wasn't a fighter, but Plotmon was. And her little puppy would do anything she asked. The others were nearby, but she doubted their Digimon could do much, if, as Babamon had said, Plotmon was at a higher level.

If these Digimon wanted to destroy the place she actually felt welcome, they had another thing coming to them.

It seemed that all of the children were in agreement, not just her, for their partners all did the same thing.

"Plotmon Digivolve to Mikemon!"

"Koromon Digivolve to BlackAgumon!"

"Koromon Digivolve to SnowAgumon!

"Koromon Digivolve to ToyAugmon!"

"Yaamon Digivolve to Impmon!"

A calico cat. Two lizards, one black, one a pale blue that she would almost call white. Something that looked similar to the lizards, but made out of building blocks. And a miniature demon.

Somehow, Flicker didn't think that Babamon's choice of 'Chosen Ones' to refer to them boded very well for this world's future. Still, they could certainly win the battle at hand.

If Ricardo's partner wasn't shooting fire, it was Sans', using his Toy Flame. Papyrus' had his own fire, while Bethany's, in a rare display of originality, called upon a blizzard.

And fighting the Guardromon on equal ground, while the others battled the Hagurumon, was her own partner- Mikemon, something in her mind provided. The feline was throwing one punch after another, and while it made little visible difference, the Guardromon was beginning to falter.

They didn't win. Not really. It was more the attacking forces getting bored and going home, which at a point like that was as close to victory as she supposed they would get.

Babamon came out of the door soon after. "Well done, children, although I suppose I could have handled it myself, if I had to." Once again, Flicker was brought to the question of just how powerful their caretaker really was. When she spoke so nonchalantly about something that had forced her Digimon to take on a new shape to fight, she just had to wonder. "I suppose it's time I told all of you about your purpose in this world."

"You mean what we've been asking for this whole time?" Bethany had a wonderful point there. Flicker supposed it came with being the oldest.

"Yes, well, we had to make sure the Digivices functioned correctly before setting you on your task. The reason you are here is simple.

"You have to defeat the darkness within the Digital World."

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Daichi: Not much character interaction, but it'll do. Next will probably be how they all got to Babamon in the first place or something.


	3. Reflection: Anubismon

BlackGatomon: The only things anyone here owns are Flicker, Bethany, and Ricardo.

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Anubismon sometimes wondered why he had ever thought that volunteering his service to the Sovereigns was a good idea. Sure, there was job security, and it meant fame of the lasting sort, as long as you lived long enough to retire. Most of their help died sometime around the five year mark.

Anubismon had made it six years so far, so that was a good sign. Either way, his itinerary for the day was far from simple. Supposedly, this would be the day that they enacted the DigiDestined Plan, where they would draft children from the Real World to fight their battles.

...He understood that it was stupid, but they were getting desperate. Apocalymon had been forming for quite some time, and once he was fully formed, and woke up, very little could stand in his way.

They had decided on drafting five children, three humans and two Monsters, although he hadn't been given much information on the Monsters. He assumed it didn't matter, so long as he could deliver the partners to them safely. These Digimon hadn't been born, but created, although he wasn't entirely sure why there were three Koromon.

He just wished that the Crests had been completed as well, so he wouldn't have had to make two trips, but figured it didn't matter. They'd be with Babamon, then. Her cottage was easy enough to find, so long as you knew it was in the bottom of a giant crater.

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He found the first child, a girl with brown hair tied up, asleep against a tree. From the mission briefing, he understood that she was meant to be Plotmon's partner. She stirred as he approached, and he quickly tried to go over everything he had been told.

A human child was on about the same level of maturity as a Rookie Level Digimon, like her Plotmon. That he would have to keep in mind, although he was used to dealing with those younger than him. One didn't Digivolve to Mega easily, even in the Sovereigns' service. It was something he'd had to gain himself.

He thought, again, of the five Digimon waiting with Babamon for their partners to come to them. They probably would reach the Mega Level, even within this first lifetime. His memories went back ten lifetimes, a record for just how long a Digimon's memory could stretch, and this was the first time he'd reached the Mega Level.

Maybe one day he'd only remember lifetimes when he was a Mega, but that wasn't today.

He leaned down to the girl and gently shook her. She stirred, eyes opening. She took one look at him, sighed, and closed them again.

"Guess I'm still dreaming."

Anubismon had several questions for his employers, the first one being why he had to be the one to deal with this. Right. He'd volunteered, and it seemed to be more and more of a terrible idea by the moment.

"This isn't a dream. Wake up." He'd never had much patience. The girl stood up, only to back away and lean against the tree for support.

"Okay. This is real. I can live with this… wait, where am I, what are you, and why me?" She was visibly freaking out, and Anubismon could not remember how he was meant to deal with this. He thought that it was something to do with calming her down, but he had no clue how to do so.

He decided just to dump her at Babamon's and be done with it.

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The other girl, the one with the braid, was already awake by the time Anubismon was close enough to see her. She was the one most poorly dressed for the weather, as it was midwinter. It was only fortunate for her that there was no snow on the ground, and that he had found her so quickly. She was shivering rather fiercely.

"Are you Bethany Moore?" He asked, knowing the answer, for there were only two girls in the group- and only one female Digimon, so he wondered what kind of partnership the eldest DigiDestined would have with her Koromon.

"Y-Yeah. That's me," She stammered it out, rather quietly, clearly suffering from the cold. She didn't seem too shocked to see him, so he wondered if she'd perhaps seen some other Digimon earlier. It wouldn't have been too much of a surprise, given that it had taken him a good fifteen minutes to find Flicker, and that was awhile ago. He'd also had to drop her off at Babamon's.

"Come along with me, child. There is a place where you will be warm." It was almost comical, how the teenager seemed to perk up at hearing him say that. It was as though being warm was the only thing on her mind.

Depending on how long she'd been awake, that was a very real possibility.

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Ricardo he'd found rather quickly, helped by the other Digimon who had heard his cries of panic. They wanted the noise and disruption as far out of their territory as possible, and he couldn't blame them.

The boy had been in a marshy area, after all, and scaring off all of the fish was generally a consequence of that. Given that all of the local settlements were fishing villages, and not the most civilized ones, it was a surprise that they hadn't sent anyone out after the disturbance yet.

That was good. He had no clue what he would have told the Sovereigns if he'd somehow managed to lose a kid. Probably would have lost his job, for that kind of mess up.

The boy was rather well dressed for the weather, which was good. Procuring human clothing wouldn't be very easy. It was easiest to pull living beings between worlds, for some reason. He didn't claim to know much about it. He was just the Digimon in charge of deliveries.

This kid was rather agreeable, but there were still two left to find.

At least he could count on them likely being in the same spot.

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Anubismon had been dreading the two of them, and needing to interact with them. He had been given no information on them whatsoever, except that they were Monsters, which created several more problems.

They had been monitoring the Real World for quite some time beforehand, supposedly in order to make the best possible choice of kids, but he somehow doubted that. They needed a team that could work together before anything else, and he didn't think that this group could do it.

It was too late for second thoughts, however. They'd already grabbed the kids. They couldn't exactly send them back. They'd need to make new Digivices, for one, and cultivate more partners. There simply wasn't enough time.

He supposed that it was best that he approach them. If they didn't know how they would react to meeting humans, the best thing to do would be to bring up the idea carefully.

So that was what he did, explaining exactly who the two of them would be working with, but keeping their purpose a secret. Explaining that would be Babamon's job, and nobody would ever expect that to change.

Having seen all of the DigiDestined for himself, Anubismon began to truly fear for the state of his world. What had possessed the Sovereigns to choose these kids?

That question would never truly be answered. All he could do was bring them together, and hope that they didn't kill each other. That certainly couldn't be asking for too much…

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Daichi: It's a good thing he didn't live to meet Chara and Flowey. I can only imagine how much his faith in intelligent life would have suffered.


	4. Courage: A Favor

Daichi: This takes place sometime after the kids are… let's just say this is later in the timeline, because chronological order is boring.

Verity: She only owns the human characters.

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"Flick!" A little Rookie Digimon ran down the streets of Chip Town. "Flick!"

Mikemon's ears twitched. "Oh. It's Burgermon. Must mean study time is over."

"Probably," Flicker admitted, looking down at the pile of books sitting beside her on the library steps. "What do you think he wants today?" She asked her partner.

"I don't know. You're the one he insists is his 'best friend', after all." The calico cat swished her tail. "Although, we haven't eaten at the restaurant in what- a month? They may just have a new special. Assuming we'd get invited back, after the mess Impmon made…" The last bit was mumbled, which Flicker understood completely.

"Flick! There you are!" The little Digimon came right up in front of them. "And Mikemon, too! I've got some great news!"

"Burgamon's giving you a promotion? Cherrymon's decided to stop the evil overlord thing? The Bakemon species as a whole has gone extinct?" Flicker gently flicked her partner's ear.

"Mikemon, what did I say about open hostility to the Bakemon?"

"No, no!" Burgermon shook his head, laughing. "Supposedly, we're going to get some really important customers at the restaurant soon! Possibly even a servant of the Sovereigns!"

"...But you've already got us," Mikemon pointed out. "And we fight the Sovereigns' battles for them."

"Their servants are mostly Mega Level," Burgermon replied. "Aren't you still trying to reach Ultimate? ...Um, no offense, Flick."

"None taken," Flicker sighed. "So, why are you telling me this? The DigiDestined don't have much to do with your restaurant anymore."

"Security detail. Burgamon wants at least one of you on the job. It'll pay really well…"

"Burgermon, we live in a house provided for us by Babamon."

"Also, a free meal for whoever shows up." Flicker, for a moment, considered the wondrous possibilities of free food, including Burgamon's famous burgers.

"...Where do I sign up?"

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"Flicker and Ricardo? Really?" Burgamon, who was really just a larger version of Burgermon, sighed. "I was hoping to get Bethany, but this will do."

"Why did you want Bethany?" Blacky asked, tilting his head to the side.

"She's fifteen. She's responsible. And how old are you again?"

"We're both ten, but I turn eleven next week. And why should our ages matter? Mikemon's the only one here who can sustain a Champion state indefinitely." Ricardo glared at Flicker, who ignored him. She was the second oldest DigiDestined and proud of it. Nothing, not even a disgruntled co-worker, would take that away from her.

"You know we can trust Flick!" Burgermon pointed out. "And Blacky and Mikemon are really close to reaching the Ultimate Level!"

"...They're also the ones who like this place most. You told them about the free meal, didn't you?"

The Rookie shrunk away from the Champion's gaze. "Maybe… But what's the problem?"

Burgamon shook his head. "It's nothing. Just… We're getting powerful Digimon here, and while Mikemon is impressive…"

"What's the problem, sir?" Ricardo asked.

"They aren't sure Chip Town is well protected enough," he admitted. "This, despite being the home and main base of the DigiDestined. We don't need high level Digimon sticking their noses here, when we can do just fine for ourselves."

"...He does remember the Flymon swarm, right?" Mikemon asked. "What if they come in while we're out of town on business?"

"You know it's a matter of pride to him," Blacky pointed out. "We come here often enough to figure that out."

"Besides," Flicker added, "do you really want to see, say, the Royal Knights stationed in Chip Town?" The instant she said it, she wished she hadn't, because the first image that came to mind was Omnimon, through size alone, accidentally destroying the library while trying to read something.

A funny thought, to be sure, but given that they would have been missing for at least a day, the studying she got done in that library was her only hope of impressing her parents enough not to get disowned. Not that she had much hope of that anyway, but a girl could dream.

"...No," Mikemon admitted. "I can't see that possibly ending well."

"So, you understand completely!" Burgamon stated, and Flicker realized that she'd tuned out a lot of what he'd said. "Now, to make a really good impression…" Plainly, Burgamon didn't realize that the only reason he had the best restaurant in town was because there was, in terms of competition, a chain diner and a noodle cart.

She didn't have the heart to tell him.

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"Decent clothes? Really?" Flicker asked. "He does realize this is a burger restaurant, right?"

"Don't worry about it," Ricardo stated, and Flicker's vision blurred. "Just hope nothing requires us to see properly, and they'll think we're wearing nice clothes."

"And if one of the customers can see outside the visible spectrum?" Mikemon drawled. Ricardo visibly deflated, and Flicker's vision cleared.

"One of these days, I'll ask Bethany what I have to fake. Or find a thermal camera someplace." Sighing, he shook his head. "At least in the real world, I wouldn't have to deal with that."

"...Say, didn't Sans say there was a chance of him turning up?" Blacky commented.

Mikemon shrugged. "You know, ever since Sans learned to teleport, there's always a chance he'll turn up. Often at the worst moment possible. It'd be better off with just the four of us."

"Mikemon, I know you and Toy don't get along, but it isn't that bad." She sighed, and glanced at the semi-nice clothes Burgamon had provided. "I'm going to kill Burgermon for this…"

"This won't even fit you," Blacky stated, glancing at Ricardo's clothes. "Maybe you should fake it after all. It's not like Burgamon will notice."

"No, it's fine. It won't be that uncomfortable."

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No, it wasn't the clothes that were uncomfortable. It was the fact that they were eating in the same restaurant as Gallantmon and Magnamon that was uncomfortable. Flicker wanted anything to get them out of it. An attack by the Flymon swarm, maybe. Some of Cherrymon's Woodmon allies, perhaps.

At this point, she'd almost take a flash flood over the current situation. Not actually, but it would have been preferable.

Burgermon wandered up to their table. "Hey, has anything exciting happened yet?"

"No, they've only just arrived," Mikemon hissed. "Go back to your post."

"Okay, but you need to hurry up! They won't believe you're keeping a watch out for Flymon and Woodmon if you're in here all the time!"

"If they ask, tell them we're on break," Blacky suggested.

"Blacky… you just ate five cheeseburgers. You didn't need that much."

"I'm a growing Digimon! What if I have to Digivolve today?"

Mikemon flicked her tail at the other occupied table. "Gallantmon and Magnamon, right there. They can handle it."

"Doesn't that kind of defeat the point of getting free food for this?" Ricardo asked. Flicker shrugged and leaned back.

"Hey, I'm not complaining. We'll just go outside, put on a show of making sure the town's safe, and head home. That should be good enough. The place isn't that big, after all."

"Yeah, you go do that, Flick," Burgermon agreed, before scampering off. So they did.

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Daichi: I guess the biggest part of this segment was clearing up the setting. You now have a name for the main location of the story. It's called Chip Town. Burgermon and Burgamon are also… really important supporting characters for later, Burgermon especially.


End file.
